I have a th350 in my little coupe and it does something really strange (since I bought the car, its not a new problem), or maybe its normal, so I thought I would ask. When its cold, and I fire it up, and shift into reverse or drive.... it takes up to 30 seconds before the car starts moving. If I give it some RPMs it will start moving. When it is hot, it shifts fine, downshifts fine, etc. Now.... I know NOTHING about transmissions, but I know that this doesn't seem to be normal. Also.... its leaking like a stuck pig shot by an AK47, I am going to drop it out and replace all the gaskets, but don't se why that would be the culprit (and yes, I keep fluid in it). Any ideas? When I drop it do all the seals, should I consider having it rebuilt? Could this just be how it is (maybe due to a shift kit or a higher stall coverter)?
Sounds exactly like a low fluid problem. Text book actually. There could be other issues but I usually start at the most simple. Any chance you leak enough to cause this problem? Is your dip stick accurate? Maybe the converter is draining and the excess fluid leaks out. Then the Trans needs to refill the converter before you get moving?
I think I will get all the leaking issues resolved first. Its leaking from soo many places, its hard to tell what is leaking and what is just catching fluid as it runs down the trans housing. The worst part is that I have replacedpan gaskets several times, but it is still still leaking from the pan, it is leaking from the shift locator hole, possible from the cheap ass billet dipstock (that no, I have no idea if its accurate) and from the trans cooler. It's not leaking quarts, but it is leaking enough to be a real issue. Its time for a professional to have a go at it.
Likec 31vick said, I'm going to add a little,the ftranny check an fill tubes that are aftermarket chrome suck an leak at the O ring. If the conv. seal is bad u need to do it as well as the pan gasket and shift shaft seal too
Get the steel core pan gasket. Flatten the pan holes and don't over tighten it. The shift lever seals are a 5 min job with the right tools. The dipstick can be a bitch but if the converter is draining and over filling the pan you may never get the dipstick to that level of positive seal. The tail shaft is pretty easy to swap. Your cooler is just plumbing basics to fix leaks.
My guess would be the lip seals are "hard; when cold they're not very pliable, but get softer as the trans heats up. You can toss in a can of Trans-Medic, or whatever brand your parts store has. The chemicals in it soften the seals, making them seal better. It may be a temporary fix, but it will give you an idea about what needs to be done. Since you're going to be doing a re-seal, the pan will be off;if there's a lot of metalic sludge in the bottom of the pan, a rebuild may be the best thing to do. There's always some stuff in the bottom of the pan, unless you change the fluid often, I'm talking about more than just a couple of built up spots of metalic sludge. Butch/56sedandelivery.
I am guessing the hard lip seals in the clutch drums. If you are going to remove the tranny I would have it rebuilt.
soo.... looks like the motor and trans are coming out. Whoever built the car made it so you cannot drop the transmission (there is a welded-in cross member in the way), so motor and trans are coming out. Looks like I will be doing gaskets and maybe a rebuild on both now.... shit howdy, guess I am digging into this deeper than I thought. Thank god its winter, I have some time to do this.
You say it leaks bad. Have you checked (with fluid topped off) the 2nd gear accumulator cover o-ring. These things go bad and won't leak unless you are driving.
Torque converter drain back. Numerous causes but, most common is valve body to case seal has been compromised.
If it's not due to low fluid level, then it's morning sickness. Caused by hardened o-rings and seals due to age. A quick fix is to buy some TransX. It will soften up all the rubber parts and the problem usually goes away. I have a 66 impala that I put a 700 trans in that had this problem. Every spring I add some transX and it's good for the rest of the year. One of these days I'll be swapping in a different motor and I'll fix it right at that point.
I was a Transmission tech before I started driveability. As the guys said above it's usually hard seals when you have this issue. The mechanic in a bottle may be a temporary fix but usually when the seals are hard, the bushings are worn and clutches.
As mentioned, it sounds like "mornimg sickness" In first gear the forward and low/reverce clutches are engages. In reverse the low/reverse and high/reverse clutches are engaged. If the piston seals harden on the low/reverse clutch piston, you will have what is called a "late engage" until the seals heat up and become soft. Trans X is a good band-aid repair but the hand writing on the wall says that the trans will need to be repaired in the near future.
ok, so here is the question.... do I rebuild, which is obviously time to do.... or just order another another one from Summit and sell mine as a core for someone else. Its crazy how cheap new ones are, but I can get one from Summit for 600-700 bucks. I am just wondering what makes more sense. Or I am better off just taking to a trans shop and have them go through it?
If you have a reputable local shop, that is who I would prefer. The primary reason being, if there are ANY glitches with the rebuilt tranny you have someone to turn to for advice and assistance. That, in my opinion, is worth something.
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